The Mother Hips | 04.25.09 | California
By Team JamBase May 11, 2009 • 5:36 pm PDT

The Mother Hips :: 04.25.09 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA
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I’ve seen a LOT of Mother Hips shows in the intervening 14 years and this night at The Independent was special. Not because of stunts, pandering or one-off gimmickry, but because what it cemented was this is one reliable, consistently excellent band. There are fewer and fewer things we can bank on in this world and I’ll stake my rep that if you plunk down your dollar to see these guys you’re in for a good time. In terms of classic two-guitar, bass and drums rock outfits, they simply don’t come better than the Hips, who lit up a tightly packed room, generating a shared heat that had folks flushed, loose and head-noddingly happy.
The boys did get a little extra muscle from pal Jackie Greene, looking dapper in his new Woodstock beard behind his keyboards, and finding his way inside the songs in a way that elevated and accented things in a really satisfying way, especially for those of us who’ve heard many of these songs many times before. Like the rest onstage, he found something personally inspirational in each cut, some element that propelled his performance. I think they know how good these songs are – none of the Hips are dumb guys – and it seemed like they were kinda reveling in the quality of what they’ve wrought, appreciating fine songs that just happen to have been written by them.
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One thing the Hips have over these better-known peers is their almost-completely clunker free live reputation. Some switch in their heads, particularly the lineup of Tim Bluhm (guitar, vocal), Greg Loiacono (guitar, vocals), John Hofer (drums) and Paul Hoaglin (bass, vocals), is toggled when they hit the stage and they get the job done. You could almost see the electricity start to flow as the first chords were struck at The Independent, and as it coursed through them, feeding back from the front ranks singing along to every line, they thrived in a very present, very connected way. I never fail to get the biggest goddamn kick out of watching them make music. It’s infectious in a way that makes me – and quite a few others as evidenced by the awe-struck first timers beside me – love music in the larger sense. Their music reminds us what is good and fine about rock, what it might be but frequently isn’t, settling for lesser roads full of greater riches and renown but ultimately a lesser thing than what the Hips have wrought. Less verbosely, they make one want to yell, “Hail, hail rock ‘n’ roll!”
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A few words for the empathetic openers before I bounce: Only my second time seeing The Blank Tapes, I am more and more smitten with their let’s-put-on-a-show exuberance, all eight of them bopping excitedly as they plow into power pop dappled by melodica, youthful Rickenbacker bass thump and tambourine jingle. Touching on reggae moods, Velvet Underground grooves and lighter, XTC friendly currents, The Blank Tapes are a growing treat full of variety that’s a blast to watch. The middle slot was filled by Stone Foxes, whose name I’d heard for years and quickly discovered why. They are new classic rockers in the vein of hidden gems like Wisebird, Leroy Justice, Super 400 and Dirty Sweet, i.e. the sort of bands that could pump fresh blood into AOR-FM radio if they’d just give ’em a chance. The Foxes had plenty of balls and relaxed cool, a confidence that surfaced in their nicely straining vocals and punchy delivery. And they are the rare band with a singing drummer that doesn’t deserve to be beaten with a Night Ranger album. Ronnie Lane would’ve loved these guys.
The Mother Hips are on tour now and play in Brooklyn and NYC this weekend (5/15 & 5/16). Complete dates available here.
A taste of the night…
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